How Virtual Reality will change the arts

13 January, 2017

The times of Virtual Reality (VR) is arising, ho may this have an impact on the future of arts.

Virtual Reality or VR is something a lot of people are very excited about. The technology is still in its infancy yet it is already clear VR has the possibilities to do absolutely anything we can imagine.

The concept is simple: you strap on a headset and you’re transformed to a different reality. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the first Google store in London the day they released the Pixel Phone. At the store I could try out the VR headset for the phone and in an instant I was transformed to the top of a mountain, where I could look around and almost feel the breeze.

VR gives us an endless supply of exciting things to do from anywhere. Not only will you be able to explore caves in South America and climb Mount Everest, from the safety of your living room, it will also give you a chance to create art such as paintings, sculptures and many other things. Companies such as Google and Facebook have created exciting tools targeted for artist.

One interesting product from Google is Tilt Brush. With Tilt Brush an artist can choose a material / canvas when they start their session, either sculpting or painting. In the video below you can see a short trailer for Tilt Brush.

In the world of performing arts, the Dutch National Ballet have been exploring the technology with a version of “Swan Lake” that can be fully appreciated with a VR headset. You can explore the 360 degree aspects of the video by clicking and moving your cursor to explore the view from different angles. It was presented at the worlds first VR cinema located in Amsterdam where people got to experience the performers as if they were standing right next to them.

We can imagine VR being used in other ways in the future. A VR version of immersive theatre, an aid to rehearsals when a performer can’t be present, a way to share behind the scene secrets, a tool for set designers.

If you have any questions regarding Virtual Reality or might be interested to have a chat about how we could produce VR ready content for you please do not hesitate to contact us.